HC Deb 22 October 2002 vol 391 cc154-5W
Mr. Don Foster

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people are employed by(a) the Health and Safety Commission, (b) the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Council and (c) the Rail Passengers Council; what the annual budget of each has been for each year since 1997–98 and its projected budget for the next financial year; and if he will make a statement on the role and terms of reference of each. [75609]

Mr. Jamieson

The Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) are statutory advisers to the Department for Transport on the transport and mobility needs of disabled people. The Committee was set up under S.125 of the Transport Act 1985 and it is also recognised in a number of other Acts including the Railways Act 1993 and the Transport Act 2000.

DPTAC does not employ staff direct. The Department for Transport supports the Secretariat and administrative functions of the Committee and staff from the Department are appointed to those posts. Until the 2000–01 Financial Year the Committee's costs were not separately identified, but the cost to the Department since then has been: £215K (00–01) and £265K (01–02). The budget for this year is £289K and this is likely to remain the same for the following Financial Year.

The Rail Passengers Council (RPC) was set up in its current form by the Railways Act 1993, with its powers and name amended by the Transport Act 2000. The Council along with the Rail Passengers Committees—whose work it co-ordinates—is the statutory watchdog protecting and promoting the interests of rail passengers. Its statutory duties are set out in sections 76 and 77 of the Railways Act 1993, as amended by the Transport Act 2000.

The Council is finalising a new mission statement and long-term goals, on which it will be consulting later in the year.

The Council's mission statement and aims are set out in its annual report. Copies of which are available in the House Libraries.

At present the Council employs 21 permanent and fixed term staff. It is currently sponsored by the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) and the details of the overall annual budgets for the Council and Committees are as follows:

  • 97–98—£1.6m
  • 98–99—£1.8m
  • 99–00—£2.25m
  • 00–01—£2.9m
  • 01–02—£5m
  • 02–03—£6m

The budget for the next financial year has yet to be determined and is subject to discussions between the RPC and the SRA later in the year.

The Health and Safety Commission is sponsored by the Department of Work and Pensions.